Ouachita

English

Etymology

Borrowed from French Ouachita.

Pronunciation
  • IPA(key): /ˈwɑːʃɪ.tɑː/, /ˈoʊˌju.əˌt͡ʃi.tə/
  • (obsolete) IPA(key): /ˈwɑːʃɪ.tɔː/[1]

Proper noun

Ouachita

  1. A Native American tribe who lived along the Ouachita River in Louisiana, affiliated with and now subsumed into the Caddo.
  2. A river, the Ouachita River, which flows through Arkansas and Louisiana.

Usage notes

The humorous pronunciation /ˈoʊˌju.əˌtʃi.tə/ is imitative of a supposedly common mispronunciation, as a speaker unfamiliar with the word may liken it to O-U-acheeta. Thus, the word can act as a shibboleth.

Derived terms

References
  1. Krapp, George Philip (1925) The English Language in America‎, volume II, New York: Century Co. for the Modern Language Association of America, OCLC 2223337, page 50.

French

Etymology

(This etymology is missing or incomplete. Please add to it, or discuss it at the Etymology scriptorium.)

Pronunciation
  • IPA(key): /wa.ʃi.ta/

Proper noun

Ouachita f

  1. Ouachita (Native American tribe)
  2. Ouachita (a river, the Ouachita River, which flows through Arkansas and Louisiana)
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